


Where New Horizons Await

by in_deepest_blue



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Post-Episode: Good Omens: Lockdown, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Warlock and the Them are mentioned only briefly, references to the lockdown special
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:35:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24557776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/in_deepest_blue/pseuds/in_deepest_blue
Summary: “In 2020, as the plague rageth, tearing the world apart, retreat to the crossing where new horizons await. There, ye shall spend your days in harmony with gentle beasts. Had ye not burneth this book, my dearest Anathema, ye too could have made the journey to young Adam’s isle.And ye, foolish Principality and foolish Serpent: may this new world at your fingertips continue to bridge the distance between ye.”— Prophecies 320–321, The Further Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes NutterIn which Crowley introduces Aziraphale to the wonderful world of Animal Crossing. Set after the lockdown special.
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 49





	Where New Horizons Await

_“In 2020, as the plague rageth, tearing the world apart, retreat to the crossing where new horizons await. There, ye shall spend your days in harmony with gentle beasts. Had ye not burneth this book, my dearest Anathema, ye too could have made the journey to young Adam’s isle._

_And ye, foolish Principality and foolish Serpent: may this new world at your fingertips continue to bridge the distance between ye.”_

— Prophecies 320–321, _The Further Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter_

* * *

Crowley had been hunkering down at Aziraphale’s bookshop for over a week now, after the angel caved in and admitted that things were lonely without his foul fiend. It had been a glorious seven days thus far. They shared meals and drinks (plenty of opportunities to watch Aziraphale eat!), and chatted and bickered the night away. But above all, they basked in the sheer delight of no longer having to come up with excuses to spend time together — something that they were still getting used to, almost a year after the Apocalypse-that-wasn't.

Secure in the knowledge that they now had all the time in the world to spend together, the angel and the demon began to settle into familiar, domestic routines. Aziraphale would bury himself in a book as Crowley — laying his head on his angel’s lap or sitting next to him — would tinker with his smartphone or laptop, the silence between them comfortable, not at all awkward. 

On one of those lazy afternoons, Aziraphale’s curiosity was piqued when Crowley joined him on the couch with what looked like a wide, clunky tablet. 

“My dear, what on earth is that?”

“Oh, this? It’s a Nintendo Switch, angel. It’s a console… ah, a device for playing video games. Don’t mind me. Just gonna hang out on Adam’s island with him and his friends. Warlock’s joining, too.”[1]

Aziraphale furrowed his brows. “Did you just say ‘Adam’s island’[2]? I’m afraid you’ve lost me there.”

“Right; sorry. I’m playing this game called Animal Crossing. It’s all the rage right now.” Knowing that getting too technical might confuse his angel, Crowley tried to keep things simple. “Thanks to the game’s technology, players can visit friends.” 

“Interesting.”

“Well, yeah, but it’s not just that. Wanna see what it’s like?”

“It’s not one of those violent video games, is it?”

“Nah, those aren’t really my thing.”

“Show me what this is all about, then.” Aziraphale couldn’t make heads or tails of some of Crowley’s hobbies, but he was never one to stop the demon from talking about his interests. After all, the demon unreservedly admitting to enjoying life’s pleasures was a side that anyone else rarely ever got to see.

Soothing, mellow music played as the demon loaded the game. Crowley’s character — the spitting image of him (as much as a cutesy avatar could be) — stepped out of his home, and a perky dog made some announcements. “As you can see, it’s very violent,” Crowley said teasingly. “Tell you more and show you around later, angel. Don’t wanna keep the kids waiting.”

After checking in at a tiny airport staffed by a dodo, Crowley’s character was off to Adam’s island, Tadfield. “As long as you’re connected to the internet, and you’re subscribed to this service called Nintendo Switch Online, you can visit other players’ islands,” Crowley explained. 

“This is how humans have been staying connected? They’re ever so creative, aren’t they?”

Landing on Tadfield Island, where it was raining, Crowley’s character was instantly greeted by a gaggle of other players: the Them and Warlock. While some were easy to recognize despite taking some artistic liberties with their hair styles and colors, it took a while for Aziraphale to figure out that the one with turquoise hair was Warlock.

Messages flashed on screen. “yo nanny” “eyyy mr crowley”

Crowley typed back: “sup. angel’s watching us”

“Hi, Mr. Fell!” Of course, Wensleydale could be counted on to observe proper capitalization and punctuation, even on chat.

Pepper started clapping, while Adam and Crowley twirled around as flowers appeared behind them. Meanwhile, Brian skipped about, and Warlock took on a look of surprise. Aziraphale couldn’t help but smile at the adorable scene. 

Adam took the lead, and everyone else ran around following him. “lets catch sum fish”

Back in Aziraphale’s bookshop, Crowley snuggled closer to his angel. “Fishing’s one of the things you can do here. Rainy days are great for catching big fish. If you catch a coele… coele… ancient fish, you can rake in big bucks.”

“...you can buy and sell things through a game? How? Through the internet?”

The demon smiled. “Not with real-life money — though some people **_have_ ** been doing that on the internet! It’s hard to explain. Guess I oughta walk you through the premise now; you can just see for yourself while I play.”

“Oh, but I’d hate to bother you while you’re playing! I can just watch, and you can tell me more about it when you’re done.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it, angel; I can multitask just fine.” As if to prove it, Crowley managed to catch a fish right as he said that. “So, Animal Crossing. You, the player, have moved to a deserted island that’s being developed by this raccoon called Tom Nook — a capitalist bastard, that one. You’re supposed to pay off your loan to him and help develop the island, too. That’s pretty much it — no story or end goal, but there’s lots you can do.”

“Hmm.”

Crowley gave a small whoop as he caught a shark. Aziraphale stifled a giggle seeing Crowley’s character, with its large head and tiny body, carrying a humongous shark like it was nothing.

“After you pay off a loan, you can borrow more to upgrade your home,” the demon continued effortlessly while running around with the kids. “You can sell fruit, fish, bugs, and other stuff to earn more Bells — that’s the in-game currency. And sometimes there are special events and activities, but you don’t have to join in. Still following me, angel?”

“Yes. I must say, this is rather… fascinating. And intriguing. Show me more?”

Well, this was new. Aziraphale took very little interest in modern technology — he **_still_ **couldn’t be bothered to use a smartphone! For him to express interest in a video game, of all things… Crowley couldn’t hide his surprise. 

But the demon supposed that ever since that fateful Apocalypse-that-wasn’t, they’d truly been marching on in many ways. Some things, like Aziraphale’s endearing fussiness or Crowley’s commitment to stylishness, remained steadfastly unchanging. And yet, they were more open to dipping their toes into unfamiliar waters these days — whether it was the uncharted seas of their relationship (still so much to discover about each other, after all this time!) or… the rivers and seas of Animal Crossing.

Crowley continued to explain Animal Crossing’s gameplay while clearly demonstrating it to Aziraphale: picking fruit on Adam’s island, talking to the animal villagers, trading items with Adam, and more. 

Finally, when it was time to say goodbye and return to Crowley’s perfectly terraformed island (“Oh, my dear boy, you named your island ‘AZ Fell’?”), the demon gave his angel a tour of his island. To Aziraphale’s amazement, Crowley’s home was a hybrid of his Mayfair flat and the bookshop, with some rooms having bookshelf-patterned wallpaper and red bricks, and others looking vaguely Gothic or modern minimalist. 

“Now I see why this game is so popular. It couldn’t have been released at a better time,” Aziraphale mused. “It’s a break from this dreary reality, isn’t it? And it brings people together, too… what a lovely game! And for you to be playing it with such gusto, my dear Crowley, it truly shows that deep down inside, you’re…”

“Oh, shut it.” Crowley tried to sound gruff, but his blush gave him away. “There was this one time when I played it for a week straight — yes, literally, I only ever took short breaks to yell at the plants — when I didn’t hear from you. Got a bit sick of it after that. All the work I put into the game, and it still wasn’t enough to cure my boredom.”

“Well, spending seven consecutive days doing anything non-stop will do that to you.” Aziraphale smiled, as he sipped some tea. “That said, I’d love to see all the hard work you put into beautifying your island.”

And show Aziraphale his island, Crowley sure did. Over the next few days, Crowley did that and much more, immersing his angel in the wonders of Animal Crossing. They’d take a couple of hours of the day to cuddle together as Aziraphale would watch Crowley play. (“It’s equivalent exchange, my dear,” Aziraphale beamed. “You watch me eat; I watch you play this charming little game.”)

First on the itinerary of the island tour were courtesy calls to what Crowley referred to as Aziraphale’s “fursonas”: an owl named Blathers — the curator of the island’s all-around museum — and a roly-poly, beady-eyed sheep named Dom. Aziraphale had no idea what a “fursona” was, so Crowley, howling with laughter, said, “Put simply, they’re you, Aziraphale.” 

Crowley made Aziraphale sit through Blathers’ explanations (“see; Blathers really **_is_ **you!”), as Aziraphale huffed and pouted in mock-offense. The pouting melted into amusement when he saw Dom the sheep happily waddling around in a tartan sweater that Crowley had given him. 

“He always looks like he’s about to cry. Don’t those puppy-dog eyes look familiar?” Smiling fondly, Crowley ruffled his angel’s hair.

“Hmph.”

When Aziraphale learned about the crafty fox Redd and the hippie photographer Harv, he finally had his payback. “Now, where have I seen that look of Harv’s? Oh, right, back during your ‘wahoo’ phase, when you had that awful mustache...” The angel smirked at Crowley.

Watching Crowley play Animal Crossing had unexpectedly become such a source of joy for Aziraphale — and for the demon, too, who was loving every moment that he was able to share his hobby with his angel. They laughed over fossils and dinosaurs, as well as the silly puns (“‘I caught an angelfish! That other fish told me to do it!’ — really now?”). 

Aziraphale made it a point to compliment Crowley’s appearance and costume changes. Just like in real life, the demon liked to switch up his presentation. But unlike in real life, Crowley didn’t always wear dark clothes in-game; one time, he made Aziraphale laugh heartily by changing into different animal onesies (“baa, I’m a sheep”). 

And when Aziraphale saw a meteor shower on Crowley’s island for the first time, he was simply charmed. As a throwback to the time when he was an angel, the demon decided to sport long hair and wear a cute dress with angel wings for this special occasion. The way Crowley’s character’s eyes seemed to light up at the sight of shooting stars, the pensive and wishful look on their face as they clasped their hands as if in prayer — it was so heartwarming that Aziraphale reminded Crowley to take some pictures to capture the moment.

With Aziraphale being so enthralled by Animal Crossing, it was only perfectly logical that he’d want to start playing. Crowley was only too happy to indulge his angel; despite the worldwide shortage of Nintendo Switches, he managed to get his angel one through a little demonic miracle.[3] He even pulled an extra miracle to cover the Switch in tartan, the way the angel surely would’ve wanted.

“Oh, Crowley! You shouldn’t have! And it has a lovely tartan pattern, too!” 

“Bleh, tartan,” Crowley mumbled, then went on. “I’ve already set things up for you — got you subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online, technical stuff all sorted out, added you as a friend, the whole shebang. You need any more help, just ask.”

As it turned out, even though he’d watched Crowley play multiple times, Aziraphale still fumbled around a bit at the beginning, though it didn’t take long for him to get the hang of things. After naming his island, Aziraphale proudly showed Crowley the screen. “I’ve always thought that the South Downs were lovely.”

“Mm, nice name. Which reminds me; when this madness is over, whaddya say to a trip to the South Downs?”

“You know I’d say yes, you wily serpent. I’d love that!” 

“Perfect. Let’s make plans when that time comes, then. For now, anything else I can help you with?”

“Thank you, dear heart, but you’ve already taught me the basics, so I think I’ll be fine. Besides, I want things to be a surprise for when you come over — where’s the fun in letting you see everything right away?”

“If you say so, then. I’ll leave you to it. Happy playing, angel.” Crowley chastely kissed his angel on the forehead. “Love you.”

“I love you too, Crowley.”

Aziraphale usually stayed up all night, so it took him no time to gain enough Nook Miles to upgrade from a tent to a house,[4] and to obtain just enough items to adorn his home. Right the next morning, after breakfast, Aziraphale smiled warmly and kissed his demon on the cheek. “Crowley, Trendy Legend of AZ Fell, I’ve got a quaint little cottage on my island now. Won’t you come on over to the South Downs and be my very first visitor?”

With a snap of his fingers, Crowley summoned his Switch. “It’s a date, angel. Let’s get you set in with some housewarming gifts and recipes.”

* * *

1 After Armageddon had gone down like a lead balloon, Aziraphale and Crowley kept in touch with the Tadfield Airbase gang. They’d also gotten in touch with Warlock, who had grown on them much more than they’d realized, and introduced him to the Them. To no one’s surprise, they got on like a house on fire, despite Warlock being in the US.[return to text]

2 Adam took his role as Resident Representative of his island **_very_** seriously. He was always perfectly sweet to his villagers, and he loved giving them presents. “Terraforming my island and keeping my villagers happy are hard work as they are; why would I wanna rule the world?”[return to text]

3 No, he didn’t conjure a Switch out of thin air.[return to text]

4 Right before 5 am — talk about impeccable timing![return to text]

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by my experience playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons! I just started playing a week or two ago, and this is my very first time playing an Animal Crossing game. I couldn't help but imagine Crowley playing it — and getting Aziraphale into it, too!


End file.
